Sunday, June 29, 2014

Pönnukökur: Icelandic Pancakes

I was up early this morning with the dog and read about how another member of my World's Literature group had made some Icelandic dishes. I haven't done much of that this year, so I started poking around the internet. When I stumbled across pönnukökur, I decided to make a quarter recipe to try it out. Icelandic pancakes are similar to crepes, with a slightly spongier texture due to the addition of both baking soda and baking powder. Traditionally they are not served in the mornings, but for afternoon tea or dessert. I broke tradition for time of day but did prepare them the two traditional ways - rolled up with sugar sprinkled on one side, or folded in quarters with jam and whipped cream.

I learned how to make them from Grandma Margrét as shown in this video, although I had to make do with a normal saute pan. This pan is cool and I'm going to try to find one - heavy base, completely flat surface - perfect for making pönnukökur. While pönnukökur is not as tell-your-friends amazing as pannukakku, I think I need to make every pancake from every cold northern country. Don't you?

Mix dry ingredients, beat in eggs and milk. You want enough milk to make a rather thin, soupy batter. Melt butter in pan on medium-high heat and pour it into the batter before it browns! Cook like crepes, and if you can find a special pönnukökur pan, all the better.

Serve by sprinkling one side with granulated sugar and rolling up, or spread jam thinly, globbing on whipped cream on one quarter, and folding pönnukökur around it.